The present invention relates to wire shaping machines in general, and more particularly to improvements in machines for making so-called wire comb binders which can be used to hold together the sheets of steno pads, calendars, exercise books and analogous stationery or bookstore products.
A machine which makes wire comb binders includes a first unit which draws wire from a suitable source and converts the withdrawn wire into an undulate intermediate product (wire comb) with a series of neighboring elongated components resembling the teeth or prongs of a comb. The thus deformed wire is thereupon introduced into a second unit wherein the prong-shaped components are bent into C-shape to form a series of coherent binders which are ready to be inserted into perforations in the marginal portions of stacked paper sheets or the like. The first unit may be of the type disclosed in German Utility Model No. 81 33 321.8, and the second unit may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,544.
The mode of operation of present popular wire comb forming units is such that they draw wire intermittently from a reel or a barrel whereon or wherein the wire is stored in the form of convolutions surrounding a suitable core. Intermittent withdrawal of wire from such sources entails continuous changes in tensional stressing of the wire and attendant agitation of convolutions in the source of supply. Such agitation is undesirable because it can affect the quality of the wire-deforming action in the wire comb forming or even in the binder forming unit of the machine.